


The Right One

by juststella



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: A Bit of Fluff, Complete, F/M, Love in Panem - New Author's Challenge, everlark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 20:18:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11516697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juststella/pseuds/juststella
Summary: ‘We don’t meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason.’ RubyannePeeta didn’t know her name or even if she was real. All he knew is that he had to paint her image and hope that destiny would allow them to one day cross paths.





	The Right One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Demona424](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demona424/gifts).



> 'Never say never'. How true and important these three words have become. Something I swore I would never do but here I am, posting my very first story. This is a huge milestone for me because I was always happy just reading (still am btw) the incredible stories by some of my favourite authors/writers.
> 
> I originally posted this story on Tumblr as part of the Love in Panem - New Author's Challenge and was blown away by the many words of encouragement and good wishes I received.
> 
> My story would not be complete without three incredible and talented people. thegirlfromoverthepond (aka Merciki) for her understanding and friendship. You are truly one lovely human being. My mentor and beta finnicko-loves-anniec (aka Gamemakers). Thank you for your patience and brilliant beta-skills. So blessed. And drivebyanon (aka Demona424). You were there cheering me on when I wanted to 'chuck this all in'. My dear friend.
> 
> So without further ado.....

“Well, thank you for applying. I do have a few other applicants to see, and I’ll be in touch if I need more information about your application,” Peeta said to yet another hopeful single young lady wanting to work at his bakery.

 

It was becoming a joke between many of the other store keepers. They all knew why these girls were so interested in working at the bakery with Peeta. Ever since his father passed away almost one year ago, Peeta had been working around the clock to keep the bakery going and adding a few of his new ideas to make the bakery even more profitable than it already was.

As a wealthy young bachelor, Peeta was finding it hard to find the ‘right one’. Obviously in another vain attempt to seduce Peeta, the young girl shamelessly fluttered her eyelashes and giggled whilst stepping closer, proudly showing off the low neckline of her dress that left nothing to the imagination.

 

“Thank you Peeta, it was nice to see you again after all this time. I’ll wait for your call. Don’t be a stranger, okay.”

 

_No, Peeta would not be calling her._

 

As Peeta turned towards the front counter of the bakery, he thought about how all this came about. After his father died from a mysterious illness, his mother wasted no time in running off to District 2 to be with the man she had been having an affair with for the past five years, unbeknown to his father. Peeta, on the other hand had an inkling that something was not quite right.

 

 _“Good riddance”_ he thought, but getting full ownership of his father’s beloved bakery cost Peeta an arm and a leg in terms of monies that his mother said was owed to her for pain and suffering. For the years she had to endure working alongside her ‘good-for-nothing, spineless’ husband and his ‘wretched’ bakery, as she so coldly put it.

 

Her parting words made Peeta even more determine to keep his mother out of his life for good. He agreed to pay her $50,000 which she happily accepted.

 

Yeah, good riddance indeed! Even at the ripe old age of twenty-four, Peeta was no fool and made sure that a legal contract was drawn so his mother _(how he loathed calling her that)_ would not come back asking for more compensation. She would never get her hands on _HIS_ bakery now.

 

“That’s the third girl this week, Peeta,” Thom said as he locked the front door to the bakery turning over the sign on the door to ‘closed’. “What was wrong with this one? Clove right, was that her name?”

 

Thom helped Peeta out in the front of the bakery making sure the bread, cakes and pastries were always re-stocked and when the baked goods were sold, he helped clean up and counted the day’s takings. Thom was one of the few people Peeta trusted. But this was a temporary arrangement as Thom had a job at the local council as Head Building Inspector.

 

Peeta sighed. “All these girls want is to worm their way into this bakery thinking they can charm themselves for more than a paid salary. I’m not interested in any of them, and I’m certainly not interested in any sort of relationship. I just need to keep looking until I find the right one...I mean...applicant...I mean...I need someone who’s willing to work hard and help me with the daily running of my bakery–nothing more,” Peeta quickly added, his face burning hot with embarrassment.

 

As Thom looked at Peeta’s expression, he felt sorry for this young man that he had come to think of as his good friend. “You’ll find her, Peet. I bet you the right one is just around the corner.”

 

Peeta simply nodded, head lowered and walked into the back kitchen.

 

The weather turned dismal the next day. Rain fell heavily and the wind became bitterly cold. Winter had arrived. The morning routine of firing up the ovens, kneading the dough, filling the cake orders was busily underway and the usual afternoon rush came and went. Thom and Peeta were glad they could finally start to shut up shop for the day.

 

While Thom wiped down the display cabinets and counter tops, Peeta made sure everything in the kitchen was clean and tidy, ready for tomorrow morning’s baking. He turned off the ovens and decided to sit in front of them with a cheese bun he’d made only hours ago.

 

“Okay, I’m going to sit down for a bit and maybe make a hot chocolate, do you want one?” Peeta shouted from the kitchen.

 

“Nah, I’ll take a raincheck though,” Thom said happily because Peeta’s hot chocolate was the best he’d ever tasted.

 

“I’m going to lock up now Peeta, Madge is expecting me home early today,” Thom shouted back.

 

He knew that Peeta enjoyed a bit of quiet time in the kitchen at the end of a busy day, just staring at that painting on the wall. The little girl with two braids. _Who was she?_ He often wondered until one day he just came out and asked Peeta. He said he wasn’t sure, that maybe she was someone he met a long time ago, that he had to paint her before he forgot what she looked like.

 

Peeta often stared at the picture he painted a long time ago of a young girl with black hair that she wore in two braids. He hung the painting of her proudly in the kitchen because he was sure he could feel her presence.

 

Maybe she was someone from his past, perhaps when Peeta was a young boy but the urge to paint her image was so strong that it took over him until he was satisfied that he had captured her very essence on canvas. Most of all, he needed to make sure he’d captured the right shade of grey in her eyes.

 

They seemed to speak to him each day, greet him good morning and wish him goodnight at the end of the day. The feeling of calm and warmth coursed through his veins each time he looked upon her image.

 

The bell at the top of the shop door chimed announcing a customer had entered, only this time a very wet and cold young lady came in shivering with her arms crossed over her chest. She had dark hair that was braided to one side. Her skin was an olive complexion and her eyes were silvery-grey. She was obviously nervous. She looked across the store waiting for the old gentleman who was buying his usual loaf of bread leave. She kindly stepped aside and opened the front door for him. He briskly walked outside in the rain with his baked goods tucked snuggly under his raincoat.

 

“Can I help you miss?” Thom asked.

 

She looked almost frightened but she slowly walked up to the counter and hesitantly started to speak. “Good afternoon Mr. Mellark, I believe you have a position for a helper available,” she said with teeth chattering.

 

“Oh yes, we do, but I’m not Mr. Mellark. He’s out the back taking a break but let me get him for you,” Thom said with a puzzled look on his face. _You look familiar, where have I seen your face before?_ Thom quickly came to his senses.

 

“No, no don’t bother him, it’s okay. I don’t want to stop him from his break,” the girl stuttered out.

 

Just as Thom was about to call Peeta, he came rushing from the kitchen. Peeta felt a sudden urge to go out to the front of the shop. His feet were walking, almost running before he had time to think and when he stopped at the doorway, he thought he had seen a ghost, no, not a ghost, a vision he wasn’t sure. Whatever he saw, he couldn’t speak—move or breathe for that matter.

 

“Peeta, this young lady is enquiring about the job-“ but before Thom could even finish his sentence, Peeta came out of his frozen stoop and quickly walked over to this mysterious woman. He couldn’t stop staring at her and it made the young girl feel very self-conscious.

 

“Hi,” he said.

 

“Hi,” she replied. Peeta could not stop staring at her eyes. Those beautiful grey eyes.

 

 _I’ve seen those eyes staring back at me a thousand times and now…. now you’re here,_ he thought.

 

“I..I..I’m Peeta Mellark miss and you are?” His hand instantly stretched out to her offering a gentle handshake which she accepted instantly.

 

“Katniss. My name is Katniss Everdeen, pleased to meet you,” she replied.

 

“I’m new in town and I’m staying with my uncle for a while and he said you were looking for someone to help you in the bakery.”

 

“Yes, yes I am Miss Everdeen, Katniss? That’s a beautiful name.” Peeta whispered to himself. “Oh my goodness, how rude of me, you’re soaked to the bone. Please, come around the back the ovens are still warm. I’ll get you a clean towel to dry off.”

 

“Oh no, please Mr Mellark, I don’t want to impose. Like I said, I understand you have a job offering, but if this is an inconvenient time I can come back tomorrow.” Katniss was about to start walking out towards the front door when Peeta gently grabbed her arm.

 

“No, please, don’t go. It’s raining and you’re cold, please, stay.”

 

Katniss could not understand the warmth she felt at Peeta’s touch even though she was soaked to the bone. “Okay, but I can’t stay long. My uncle will be worried if I’m not home soon.”

 

“Okay, sure, no problem. I can walk you home if you like–and it’s Peeta, please call me Peeta.”

 

Katniss quickly nodded then spoke in reply, “Katniss, you can call me Katniss, if you like.”

 

“Yes, I’d like that Katniss, I’d like that a lot, thank you”.

 

As Peeta and Katniss walked to the back of the shop where the kitchen’s ovens were still warm, Thom could hear Peeta ask Katniss if she could start working tomorrow.

 

“Yes, tomorrow, that would be great,” Katniss said enthusiastically. “I don’t have much experience with working in a shop and I really don’t know anything about baking. But I love bread and cakes and buns.”

 

“Buns, oh then you’ll have to try these,” Peeta said. “It’s a new recipe of mine and I think they’re good but I haven’t put them out to sell yet.” Peeta quickly grabbed two cheese buns that he had made earlier onto a plate and handed them to Katniss.

 

“Hmm, they smell wonderful,” Katniss said.

 

“They taste great with hot chocolate too. It will only take a minute.”

 

“No, please don’t go to any trouble Peeta, I feel like I’m imposing.”

 

“No imposition at all Katniss, I was just about to have a cheese bun and hot chocolate myself so to share with you would be… nice.”

 

Katniss nodded and smiled with blushed cheeks. Peeta handed her a clean towel from under the bench to dry off and as she reached out to take it, their hands gently brushed against each other. That warm spark was undeniable, both felt it. Peeta quickly turned to the stove and started on the hot chocolate. The beam that shone from both their faces was hard to miss.

 

As Thom watched Peeta and Katniss together in the kitchen, he smiled and quietly walked over to the front door, turned over the sign and locked the door. _Hmmm, am I imagining it, her eyes are strangely like the ones in Peeta’s painting, the one in the kitchen? I’m sure of it._  He thought.

 

Yes, tomorrow was going to be a new day. Thom would be teaching Katniss how to work in the bakery and he knew in his heart that this was the start of Peeta and Katniss’ story.

 

Yeah, Peeta just found the ‘right one’.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my story. I would love to hear from you and your feedback/comments will be appreciated. Please let me know if there was something in the tagging section that should be changed. Being my first time, I just went with it!


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